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Mario
This article is about the main character of the Mario series. For information about an overview of the series itself, see here. “It's-a me, Mario!” —'Mario', Super Mario 64 Mario (Japanese: マリオ, Mario) is the eponymous main character and protagonist of the long-running and highly successful Mario (series) . He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and also serves as the main mascot of Nintendo. Mario made his first appearance as the protagonist of the arcade game Donkey Kong, released in 1981. Since Super Mario Bros., his trademark abilities have been his jumping and stomping powers, with which he defeats most of his enemies, and his ability to change size and gain powers with a plethora of items, such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower. Games have usually portrayed Mario as a silent character without a distinct personality (F''ortune Street'' is a notable exception). According to Nintendo's philosophy, this allows Mario to fit in many different genres and roles. In most games, he is the hero that goes on an adventure to save Princess Peach from the evil Bowser, but he has been shown doing other activities besides adventuring, such as racing and sporting. Creation Concept art for Jumpman. Following the failure of Radar Scope in North America, Nintendo's then-president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, requested Miyamoto's aid in converting unsold''Radar Scope'' units into something that would sell well. Miyamoto conceived the concept of a love triangle and decided to make a game based on the Popeye''character. He, however, was denied the rights for the ''Popeye franchise, so he decided to come up with a new idea using his own characters. For use in his arcade game Donkey Kong, he created the character of Jumpman, who previously went under other names, such as Mr. Video, and originally, Ossan (the Japanese term for middle-aged man). This character was given red overalls and a blue shirt in order to make the arms more visible as well as a cap and moustache, as hair and a mouth were impossible to animate on the arcade system. It is said that during the development for Donkey Kong Jr., the Jumpman character was renamed to Mario when an employee at Nintendo of America's office pointed out the similar physical appearances between Jumpman and Nintendo's Italian landlord, Mario Segale. History ''Donkey Kong'' series ''Donkey Kong'' Mario (Jumpman) in Donkey Kong. In Donkey Kong, Mario is a carpenter whose mission is to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the clutches of the giant ape Donkey Kong, who took her to a construction site. With the one button of the game, the player can make Mario jump over obstacles. Mario also uses hammers as items. Jumping can only be used to jump over obstacles, not to destroy them, as is a prominent feature in later games. ''Donkey Kong Jr. In ''Donkey Kong Jr., Mario appears as the antagonist, having captured Donkey Kong and holding the ape in a cage. Mario opposes the protagonist Donkey Kong Jr., who rescues his father in the end. Another game depicting Mario as the tamer of Donkey Kong is the Game & Watch title Donkey Kong Circus, in which Mario only appears in the background.